Storyline

The episode opens with reminders about Desmond's premonitions: Locke's speech, the lightning rod, etc. In the present, as Locke and Sayid inform everyone about Eko's death, Desmond takes off running. He manages to save Claire from drowning in the ocean, but his prescience has now become obvious to Charlie and Hurley. They use some whiskey from Sawyer's raided stash to try and find out what happened to Desmond and get an explanation as to how, as Hurley puts it, "that guy see the future, dude." When Desmond passes out drunk, through his eyes we then begin to (re)experience his past and event leading up to why he did not end up with Penny, though he obviously still loves her and wishes things had been different. Triggered when Desmond "pushed the button," the flashbacks are actually a form of time travel or a replaying of events in an alternate/parallel universe. Desmond struggles with his sense of déjà vu and glimpsed of memories of the future as we see him living with Penny several ... Written by
Jeremy Farrance

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The song that Desmond hears playing by the jukebox in the pub is "Make Your Own Kind Of Music" by 'Mama' Cass Elliot. It is the same song he played in the Swan station just minutes before Jack and Locke blew the hatch open. See more »

Goofs

Desmond is looking at an army poster, showing the merits to joining a Scottish regiment - and the spelling is American - "Honor * Adventure", when it should be "Honour" - the British spelling. The scene is supposedly in Britain. See more »

Quotes

Desmond:
How do I know you?
Charlie:
I don't, um...
Desmond:
Where do I know you from?
Charlie:
I don't know, but I'll remember if I could get some help.
Desmond:
[Sees a flashback to the island]
You're Charlie!
Charlie:
Yeah, name's on the sign.
Desmond:
It, it was in the hatch! I remember seeing you! There was a computer, there was a button... we were on an island!
Charlie:
We are on an island, mate. This is England.
Desmond:
No, it was real! I remember.
Charlie:
Hey, all right.
[...]See more »

Crazy Credits

The producers gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of the people of Hawaii and their Aloha spirit. See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

User Reviews

The universe has a way of self-correcting... and apparently so do great television shows that make a costly mistake like the six episode pod which opened season three ("The Cost of Living" is a major exception, though). Almost as an apology for the massive failure that was the Hydra island pod of episodes, the season returned several months later with two consecutive masterpieces, both among the finest episodes of "Lost". "Flashes Before Your Eyes" takes a break from the Jack-Kate-Sawyer-Ben-Juliet saga to reveal exactly what happened to Desmond after he turned the failsafe key, how he knew what Locke was going to say before he made his speech in "Further Instructions", and why he ended up naked. Well, the last one isn't exactly explained in detail...

Much like the previous episode "Not in Portland" the episode effortlessly mixes character-based drama and mythology-based thrills without one element over-powering the other. In many ways Desmond is the perfect character to do this with. "Flashes Before Your Eyes" reveals some significant details of how time relates to "Lost", but it does so in scenes with ramifications and a significant effect on Desmond's character and his perception. Again, the Penny/Desmond love story proves to be one of the rare romances on "Lost" which is actually striking and effective, and surprisingly believable as well.

The episode sees the introduction of Charles Widmore, it sets up Desmond's flashes which would continue having a significant impact on the series throughout season three and eventually sort of form the basis for the show's greatest episode: "The Constant". This one is a superb episode, only flawed due to the lazy production design- London doesn't really look like London, 'honour' is spelt as 'honor' on a recruitment poster, the 'pub' looks like an American bar, and the football match on the television looks like a Spanish match from the late 80's, and barely anything like an English match from the 90's. Great direction for this episode, and a superb script by Damon Lindelof and Drew Goddard.

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